Waiting in line, waiting at a red light, waiting for summer, waiting for your Starbucks order. Sometimes it feels like all we do is wait. However, waiting takes on a whole new dimension when you’re waiting to find out what’s wrong with you.
Waiting for the doctor’s appointment after finding the lump. Waiting for the phone to ring to tell you when and where your test will be. Waiting in the exam room in an ill-fitting gown that doesn’t close properly. Waiting while they call in the radiologist, which you know is not a good thing. Waiting for the diagnosis. Waiting for the myriad of appointments and tests and results that follow…
And if that isn’t bad enough, you have to hit pause on everything else as well. So much for planning a summer vacation. You wanted a new haircut? No point if you’re not going to have hair in a month (or is now the best time to experiment with bangs?!). What about that work trip you’re supposed to go on?
Unfortunately, finally having a diagnosis doesn’t stop the waiting. Now I’m waiting for treatment to start. Waiting until I’m ready to tell people. And still, like the rest of Calgary, waiting for summer to finally arrive! I wish I could say I was getting better at it. They say that practice makes perfect and I’ll certainly be getting a lot more practice waiting in the coming days and weeks and months. As long as it doesn’t come with elevator music, right?!
But while I wait, I will count my blessings: family and friends who go out of their way to distract me, bring me baked goods, and keep my mind off of my worries! Universal healthcare, new episodes of the Great British Baking Show, fresh veggies in my garden, non-fat extra hot lattes, nephews and nieces full of stories about summer camp… They do say that good things come to those that wait. Maybe it’s finally time to buy a lottery ticket!
C is for Colleen 